Articles from the Web

Economics: Presidential candidates slip on Econ 101 – Nov. 9, 2011.

This is one of the things that has driven me (and lots and lots of other people) insane over the past few years.  In almost literally econ 101 (my intro macro and micro classes in my MBA program), supply and demand and Keynesian principles – and rules – were clear and easy to understand.  I’m not saying that everyone out there should be a Keynsian economist, but the ideas behind it are clear.

Yet we can start with the very beginning of the economic crisis, with the bail-outs of Merril and Bear and the government and Fed “buying” into all of these entities that it has never touched before.  It’s one thing for the government to put money into circulation for stimulus.  It’s another to start owning companies.

But two things that are key to basic economics were ignored amid all the yelling.  First, that the government is the only entity big enough to make such massive economic moves – short of JP Morgan (the person) back in the day, no one person could pump that much money into the economy as the ARRA did.  And yes, the budget that first year was MASSIVE.  But from day 1 Geithner and Obama said that this was temporary, that the government must pull back at some point.  Bernanke said that he had a plan already in place for “unraveling” the Fed’s involvement in these companies.  So the government had to do this stimulus spending (Keynsian) but it also had to stop at some point and address deficit concerns, etc.

Second, that claims made about how dangerous these spending policies were and about the “fixes” failed to address supply and demand (the $2/gallon promise) or the fascination/obsession over a balanced budget.  Remember the last time we tried a balanced budget during a recession?  Yeah, that led to the Great Depression.

Unfortunately, the majority of Americans just aren’t that bright.  Sorry, that’s not fair.

The majority of Americans do not want to listen.  They want to hear that gas prices will go down.  They want to hear that a deficit (isn’t that inherently bad??) will go away.  They want to hear that it is possible to balance a budget (and nothing will go wrong, right??).

I want to hear those things, too.  But 99% of my brain knows that such things are pipe dreams.

And there is a deep-rooted fear that this appeal to the masses, if you will, will unseat many truly smart people, doing good things, just to put others into the White House and Congress who will either do the same things anyway (because, after all, when the $2/gallon promise falls through, it’s still just supple and demand) or, even worse, hold our government hostage while sound policies are derided in the name of some ridiculous ideal.

Monterey College of Law Pilots iPad Programs for Students and Faculty — Campus Technology.

A professor here at the Law School forwarded this to me recently.  He didn’t say anything in his message.  He just sent the link.  I guess I would have appreciated an attempt at something other than saying “I want an iPad too” but I’ve learned to manage my expectations these days.

There are a few interesting aspects to this post, some more meaningful than others.

• It is tied to BARBRI, the Bar Exam prep program.  Programmatic backing is always a critical component to any initiative.  If there is no clear purpose, tied into a practical activity in which the end-users are interested, then it’s likely to be dead in the water.  So that’s good.
• The main point cited for providing iPads is because students learn and faculty…do scholarship outside of the classroom.  Well, they have done that outside of the classroom for quite some time now.  On the student side, I can see where a new interface to this content can be meaningful.  That is good.  But faculty clearly aren’t teaching via the iPad (at least, not likely).  They are not likely creating content via the iPad (possible, but if you’ve met law faculty you’d know from where my skepticism comes).  And the iPad is not the device for doing scholarship.  That’s not so good.

Interesting idea.  Poor reasons cited in the article for the effort.  Sounds like more hype than content.

Use a cell phone supporting 3 way calling to record audio interviews « Moving at the Speed of Creativity.

I had never thought about using 3 way calling as a way of recording.  Fascinating.  Great example of rethinking how to use such a feature.

BBC News – Cisco shuts down Flip video camera business.

This is quite saddening.  The Flip was a great idea and a great design.  Yes, other cameras with similar form factor surpassed it fairly early on in terms of features, but everyone still had the Flip.  We even use it for check out at work, since it’s just so darn easy to use.

That Cisco bought it as part of losing its way and then has to shut it down is upsetting.

Energy Drinks, Even Without Alcohol, May Pose Risks For Youngsters : Shots – Health Blog : NPR.

I was just wondering about this today.  I used some energy drinks when I was dealing with serious fatigue with my night MBA classes, but only then.  And I have constantly wondered about the long-term effects of that much B vitamin consumption.

The impact on children can only be more significant.  Good or bad, whichever side is right – that’s a lot of caffeine, B vitamins and, in many cases, just plain sugar being consumed.

The “Update” at the end is refreshing, by the way.  That the author has always intended this to be a “call for…communication” is more meaningful than the many diatribes out there.  The sides on this issue will argue emotionally, many times, but if this is a way of starting a dialogue, then I’m all for it.

Jerry Brown’s budget cuts deep, looks to extend tax hikes, reshapes government| PolitiCal | Los Angeles Times.

My first reaction to this is “what!  cuts again!  this is wrong, this cannot be tolerated this…etc.”

And fundamentally that is my reaction.  These budget cuts tend to hit education particularly hard (lobbyists just aren’t as strong, let’s face it), and it’s easy to say “well, if we increase ratio to 25 students to each teacher, that ripples through savings of X.”

But the state’s budget is a mess.  I honestly don’t know how any governor can do anything to improve the situation without screwing over just about everyone.  So many expensive budget items are not only in the budget, but are so entrenched that it’s impossible to get things changed.

And when it boils down to it, lobbyists come into play.

What was interesting was watching the nursing community put up such a huge fight when Whitman was running for governor against Brown.  My wife is a nurse and to see such a strong response makes me realize how weak of a position education really has.

In Digital Age, Students Still Cling to Paper Textbooks – NYTimes.com.

I hav to admit that this really surprised me.  I have been looking into electronic textbooks for the law school environment.  All a part of the move into mobile computing, the rise of the iPad, etc.  But this article kid of turns that whole idea on its head.

Your touchscreen phone is a petri dish « Boy Genius Report.

Obama Job Strategy Backs Two-Year College Funding, Attacks Republican Cuts – Bloomberg.

Okay – so I don’t want to comment on the political part of this – not now, at least.  Just about everyone has the education system messed up right now.

But Obama’s support of community colleges?  Bravo.

Go watch The Social Network next week « Boy Genius Report.

I have to say that I have been very torn about Social Network.  On the one hand, Facebook, the company, is right here, I have so many friends (well, 5 or 6) that work for them, and I am a little sick of hearing about it as a company (along with Google). Enough already!  I get it, it’s a great story that has defined the concept of social networking!

On the other, it’s a script by Sorkin and directed by Fincher, and stars Jesse Eisenberg.  What a trio.  I know the movie will be quality but wasn’t sure how I felt about the topic.

Apparently, though, it’s darn good.  If BGR, about as entrenched in tech and social networking as any person/group, can say that it’s a truly excellent movie, then I guess I’ll go…